More drone pilots than ALL other pilots in Australia
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 374
Likes: 21
From: Australia
More drone pilots than ALL other pilots in Australia
Reference RPAS news - August 2025 [SEC=OFFICIAL]
The number of licensed drone pilots in Australia has hit a new milestone thanks to robust growth and innovation in the emerging remotely piloted aircraft sector.The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has now issued more than 40,000 remote pilot licences (RePLs), a figure that has more than doubled since the start of the decade.
There were about 16,500 remote pilot licences in mid-2020 after a surge in growth that had seen the number grow from less than 3,300 licences four years earlier.
In recent years, remote pilots have overtaken CASA-licensed fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter and other pilots to become Australia's biggest pilot group.
Growth in drone registrations has also been healthy, with an 18 per cent year-on-year increase between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Australia was among one of the first jurisdictions to introduce rules allowing commercial drone operations and CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence said the authority remained committed to keeping Australia at the forefront of emerging technologies.
Ms Spence said the growth in licensed remote pilots underscored the industry's health as it uncovered new and innovative uses for drones.
'From helping archaeologists unlock the secrets of the past, to enhancing safety in underground mines, detecting sharks, delivering medicine and remotely inspecting crops for pests and soil degradation, today's drones are going where no RPA has gone before,' Ms Spence said.
'Drones are now a key part of the toolkit available to police and emergency services as they strive to keep us safe and respond to natural disasters, including Cyclone Alfred and other recent events.
'As we approach the challenge of integrating these operations into Australia's airspace and regulatory framework, our goal is to keep up with the sector's growth without compromising safety.'
The number of licensed drone pilots in Australia has hit a new milestone thanks to robust growth and innovation in the emerging remotely piloted aircraft sector.The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has now issued more than 40,000 remote pilot licences (RePLs), a figure that has more than doubled since the start of the decade.
There were about 16,500 remote pilot licences in mid-2020 after a surge in growth that had seen the number grow from less than 3,300 licences four years earlier.
In recent years, remote pilots have overtaken CASA-licensed fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter and other pilots to become Australia's biggest pilot group.
Growth in drone registrations has also been healthy, with an 18 per cent year-on-year increase between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Australia was among one of the first jurisdictions to introduce rules allowing commercial drone operations and CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence said the authority remained committed to keeping Australia at the forefront of emerging technologies.
Ms Spence said the growth in licensed remote pilots underscored the industry's health as it uncovered new and innovative uses for drones.
'From helping archaeologists unlock the secrets of the past, to enhancing safety in underground mines, detecting sharks, delivering medicine and remotely inspecting crops for pests and soil degradation, today's drones are going where no RPA has gone before,' Ms Spence said.
'Drones are now a key part of the toolkit available to police and emergency services as they strive to keep us safe and respond to natural disasters, including Cyclone Alfred and other recent events.
'As we approach the challenge of integrating these operations into Australia's airspace and regulatory framework, our goal is to keep up with the sector's growth without compromising safety.'
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 374
Likes: 21
From: Australia
There is a difference between a pilot and an operator.
An operator is somebody with a commercial drone license, a pilot can be either recreational or commercial.
The wording came straight from a CASA mail out so they would never get there wording wrong would they ?
Just amazes me that drone operators/pilots have overtaken fixed wing and rotary wing combined with all of the commercial pilots, GA pilots and recreational pilots added together not come into the same number.
An operator is somebody with a commercial drone license, a pilot can be either recreational or commercial.
The wording came straight from a CASA mail out so they would never get there wording wrong would they ?
Just amazes me that drone operators/pilots have overtaken fixed wing and rotary wing combined with all of the commercial pilots, GA pilots and recreational pilots added together not come into the same number.
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 374
Likes: 21
From: Australia
CASA will accept a PPL IFR rating towards some parts of a drone licence.
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 147
Likes: 79
From: Qld
Interesting. How many hours dual instruction required for the basic licence ? Typically how many $/hr?
Are you comparing to a conventional private or commercial licence?
Another motivating factor is cost of ownership and operation makes rpas much more accessible for the smaller end of many industrial sectors, and opening up business opportunities for which conventional aircraft use would be uneconomic.
